Spit Or Not To Spit

As a youngan, I grew up and spent a lot of time around “old folks” (funny I am one now). I loved to listen to the many stories they would tell, watch Uncle Matt blow smoke rings from his pipe, Granny puffing on her old cob pipe, and Auntie and Mom rolling their own filling each with Buffalo they took from the bag they placed out of sight on their person. Something that I watched them do time and time ago was “spit” and “spit” they did. It intrigued me to no end how they could aim and it go over the porch railing without a drop hitting the porch. Well, one day I decided I wanted to “spit” or try my hand at it. I had me a bag of licorice and I would chew it up purty good and then I would “rare” back and “spit”. I reckon I got purty good at it and spent more nickles on licorice than anything else during that time. One day I walked up to a bunch of boys playing marbles and chided them into a “spitting contest”. One asked, “we don’t chaw, what are we going to spit?” I got out my little bag of licorice and handed it out and then we all lined up to see who could spit the furthest. I drew a line in the dirt and we took our turns at spitting. Well, don’t you know it, one of the fellers had sneaked around and was dipping snuff and he knew how to spit with the best of them. Needless to say I lost in that contest, plus I give away all of my licorice. I never asked for another spitting contest and it wasn’t long after that that I left behind my tomboy days and started “duding” up as a girl…mercy, those were the days!!!